Witkoff and Kushner Land in Moscow in New Push for Peace in Ukraine: Reports

FILE – US envoy Steve Witkoff, left, and US businessman Jared Kushner attend a press conference after the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, Jan 6, 2026. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)

U.S. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow Saturday in a renewed effort to end Russia’s years-long invasion of Ukraine — and the visit comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the pair would make their first ever visit to Kyiv on Sunday.

The historic visit to Ukraine’s capital has recently been canceled several times, according to the Kyiv Independent — and may still be.

“The Russians don’t want them to come here to Kyiv, and Witkoff is always sensitive to Russian sentiment,” the outlet reported, citing sources. “They’re being told there that it’s dangerous.”

Strikes between the two nations have intensified in recent months.

Witkoff, 69, and Kushner, 45, — President Donald Trump’s son-in-law — were greeted upon their arrival in Moscow Saturday by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to the Associated Press, which cited Russia’s state news.

The pair’s last known visit to Moscow, where they met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, was in January.

Zelensky pledged to pause hostilities while Witkoff and Kushner were in the region:

Today, it has been clearly established that U.S. envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days. We have the details from the U.S. President’s team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday. We are preparing for the visit. Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit. Our goal is to make the visit and the talks with the U.S. side as constructive and substantive as possible. We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end. We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response

But Russia apparently refused to take the hint, unleashing deadly strikes Friday:

Last night, the Russians struck a civilian enterprise in Kamianske, in the Dnipro region, killing four people and injuring five others. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Ordinary residential buildings were damaged in many regions – in Kherson, Boryspil, and the Kharkiv region. In Sumy and Mykolaiv, drones struck shopping malls.

There were also demonstrative Russian strikes on our airports overnight – in Kyiv and Boryspil. Deliberate, for the first time in a while. Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport. Russian-Iranian “shaheds” in response to American diplomacy. We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky. Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side. Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer. Russia will be held accountable for what it does. Thank you to everyone who is helping our country and the Ukrainian people!

Russia also targeted a key government building in Kyiv — the headquarters of Ukraine’s Secret Service, which is involved in the headline-making operations inside Russia, according to the AP.

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